What Is Fate?

I did a tarot reading today that meant having to explain some of the ways in which fate works for us and why this meant that the tarot cards were offering different paths and choices rather than definite outcomes. I thought it was worth including here also as it is a very important part of all psychic and mystic matters and central to our beliefs. It can be a little confusing at first but I actually feel it is incredibly liberating and enriches our lives when we come to understand it.

What Is Fate?
The concept of fate is potentially thousands of years old. It was discussed by the ancient Chinese civilisations and Nordic traditions also, both of which are huge influences on current thinking. To say the word ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ to many conjures up the idea of something static, fixed and unchanging, that it contains a map your life’s path.

However, fate has always been believed to be something that flows and changes in line with your actions, your circumstances and the choices you make as well as the people you meet and opportunities that arise. We are not puppets on strings, being controlled by the higher powers, but rather masters of our own destinies to a very large degree. We have free will.

Core areas of our lives and events may be shown by psychic energies. It is then up to us to make wise decisions based on this information.

Why Have a Tarot Reading?
Using psychic energies, the tarot cards will show you these events and also possible events coming up or those that are around you now. They can also help you with guidance on how to deal with them. For example, the cards may show an upcoming romantic connection with someone that you may be very drawn to but that there are reasons to be cautious. They can help to prepare you to look out for danger signs or to turn the situation around to your benefit.

What they can’t do is carry out these decisions and actions for you. If the cards show a potential love connection coming up around a social event, but you decide not to go, the tarot cannot make this happen for you! So you can see how you play a central role.

Psychic energies and tarot cards also bring the wisdom of the universe to you and the reason this can be so invaluable is because as human beings we are flawed. We are emotional creatures and they have a powerful hold over us. We can get ourselves into some very tricky situations! There are times when the truth is too much to bear and the tarot will sooth you because it gives you alternatives. A relationship may be going through a difficult patch and the tarot can help you to see where your behaviour is contributing to the problems and what you can do to change and get everything back on track.

What Outcomes Can I See In the Tarot?
Because fate is so flexible, in consulting the tarot you can explore different outcomes around different actions. What can happen if I call him? What can happen if I don’t call him? What will happen if I step back and give this time? It provides a wealth of information that we can take away and think about, even using our own instincts to help us determine the best way of moving forwards.

What I feel I must add, as I see this all too often, is that fate, the tarot cards and psychic energies cannot merely provide you with what you want to hear. What we want to see in our futures may not be what is right for us. I see many people in desperate situations such as unhappy marriages and relationships. They are being treated badly and want nothing more than the person they love to change. If the cards shows this will not happen, this may be one of your life’s core events. Sometimes, your actions will simply not be enough to change the other person.

It is at this point that you have to realise that fate is going to remain static and until you can find the strength to admit this to yourself then you will remain unhappy. Accept that fate would not match you with someone who would leave you permanently unhappy. Don’t feel that the cards are against you, they will always be acting in your interests.

Today's Tarot Reading

This morning I did a tarot reading for a lovely, spirited woman but I have to confess I am feeling a little drained now! This is absolutely not her fault but just a consequence of the level of high emotions around her - she is going through such a difficult time. But I what came through for her was that there are lessons to be learned from her experiences and certainly one that the cards showed she was intelligent and savvy enough to learn for herself when the time is right.

It was a love reading and her partner had returned to his ex and child leaving her feeling unloved and used. This is a natural and normal reaction and my heart went out to her. She also had stored up a lot of anger and most of this she directed at the ex partner who, let’s just say, hadn’t exactly been kind to her. A horrible situation and one that affected my client deeply.

However, during the reading it was clear that she was reaching for something that wasn’t necessarily in her best interests. Firstly wanted to make sense of it all, to find the meaning. The cards were showing her that in fact there was no true meaning, there was no great plan behind this. It was a set of events that came together to cause hurt and suffering to all involved. To try to search for answers beyond that was eating away at her.

It is so hard to let go before we are ready and all too often we’re left with a feeling of complete powerlessness. This works away at our confidence and will grind us down if we let it. The lesson the cards were showing my client is that she felt the injured party and the fool now. But time brings change and that she would eventually realise that she would feel both stronger for having come through and lucky for being well out of it all!

Something that is a lesson for all of us in any given situation. In the meantime, be strong and kind to yourself!

L&L
Elizabeth

Thinking of a New Year Tarot Reading?

I mentioned yesterday that I was very busy at the moment because of New Year tarot readings and it looks like this is going to be the case right up until the last week of January. Very exciting stuff! You may be wondering why New Year is such a good time for readings given that the cards offer insight at ANY time of the year and in fact week, day or hour. Good question and I’d be happy to answer it for you!

For me it’s all about energies. I am a big believer in tarot readings being a joint affair - the energies of the reader, the querant and the cards all coming together. It doesn’t matter whether a question has been asked or not, the more participation in terms of enthusiasm and focus that everyone puts in, the better the reading will be.

At this time of year, everyone has so much on their minds. There are concerns and worries, confusion, hopes and dreams. These are all there at any time of the year of course but at New Year it always seems as if a spotlight has been shone on people’s lives - Where am I going? Am I doing the right thing? Is it going to work? There is such a willingness for change it really makes tarot readings at this time year a joy.

So if you are struggling to get your head around what has happened in 2009 and hoping for a more productive/prosperous/happier/romantic 2010 then think about a reading, even if it’s just a quickie. Don’t let these feelings fester or build, use the tarot to get your head straight!

Major Arcana

Hello, Happy New Year and I hope you had a great Christmas! I’ve been rushed off my feet with all the New Year readings and I have to say I have a GREAT feeling about this year - I’m really buoyed up!!

I wanted to kick off 2010 with a few words on the major arcana cards as I have seen a much higher incidence of them in my readings of the last week due to this being a time of change, emotional ups and downs and new beginnings.

Major Arcana
There are no real hard and fast rules to the tarot but it is generally accepted that the major arcana cards are the big ones, the heavy weights of the pack (click here to see a list of what the cards are). The first thing I do when I lay out a spread is take a quick look to see the what major arcana cards feature and where they are placed as it will often feed me the ‘mood’ of the reading. They’re fundamentally important!

What are Major Arcana cards?
A tarot pack will have 2 main types of cards - the major and minor arcana. The minors are the 4 suits of cups, swords, wands and pentacles and show more every day concerns.

The major arcana stand alone and are depictions of scenes and people. They are more symbolic and their presence in a reading will show you that significant changes will occur, or special attention should be given to this aspect of the querant’s life.
How to Read the Major Arcana
This all depends on what tarot spread you are using and what position the card falls in. For example, using the Celtic Cross spread, position 4 will show you what has occurred in the very recent past and indicates what has led them to the position they are in now.

So if the Judgement card is drawn here, we can see that decisions and hopes to improve his or her life have been influential. Because this is a major arcana card, we will be aware that the past needs particular focus, recommending ways to come to terms with it or turn it around.

If you read for yourself or are just starting out, it can be really helpful to pay particular attention to these cards when you lay out any spread. Tarot readings are very complex beasts! Simplifying the process by concentrating on the majors can be very enlightening as it will help you to tune into the major themes before you get overly confused by all of the other messages. As you develop your expertise, you will start to be able to cope with more layered interpretations, but most likely you’ll never drop the habit of honing straight in on these principal keynotes!

Tarot Reading as Counselling

I saw this the other day and I thought it was a very insightful description of a tarot reading - I especially liked the bit about the tarot being like a wise friend. Precisely how I feel about it!

Rev Up a Tarot Reading!

Have you ever had a tarot reading that you’re unhappy with? How did that make you feel? No doubt it made you feel flat and a bit let down - and this would be the natural response. There is nothing like the thrill of an energising connection with a reader to make you feel good about your future and nothing like the lack of one to bring you down with a bump.

However, don’t feel powerless as all is not lost. There are actually ways to rev up a reading! You are after all, half of the people involved and even better, in terms of subject matter, it’s all about you! So don’t underestimate how you can contribute. Here’s a few pointers to help:

• Ask questions. If you feel the reader is heading in the wrong direction, it may be that s/he is actually picking up on the right energies but has not quite got a handle on the area that it relates to. This can happen. Now is not the time for you to jump in and tell them everything however! Confirm if you feel something is relevant and ask questions to help focus the direction, to take it to what you are interested in investigating

• If you having a general reading, be genuinely open. It is most often best not to opt for this in the hope that you get a reading relevant to your relationship as this can lead to disappointment. Again - it’s your reading! If you want to know about your relationship, simply ask :)
  

• If you have a specific question, make sure you are focused on this when you ask. No need to tell your reader the details of what you are concentrating on, just do it to build up the energies between you. Your dedication will be appreciated and even worked with by your reader.

• Strike up a general, albeit brief conversation. You are paying to have a reading and will not want to take up the time having a chit chat about what was on TV last night. That said, by being warm and friendly with one another, even if it’s not face to face, opens up channels and information is usually shaper for it.

If you put these simple tricks into play, you will not only cut down on feeling disappointment from the occasional slow tarot reading but in fact find that you can get even more out of the already good ones!

L&L Elizabeth xxx

Experiencing Symptoms of Psychic Ability

Many years before I did tarot readings I had experienced symptoms of psychic ability. This made me question who I was and what I was put here to do, but also scared me at times. It is a big responsibility and something you must learn to use wisely as you mature. The reason I bring it up here is because there is of course a big crossover between being psychic and reading the tarot. For those starting up now, some of you may have experienced symptoms of psychic ability yourself, and some may start to open this up in yourself as you progress. Neither is any more powerful than the other but you may find some slight differences in how this manifests in you.

General Symptoms of Psychic Ability
1) Psychic dreams. You possibly would have experienced these from an early age. They are not something you can control but can often bring you important messages.
2) Sensing when someone is going to call you, even when you haven’t heard from them for a while.
3) Called clairsentience, you will be able to pick up on the thoughts and feelings of others. This is a difficult ability to have sometimes and you must learn to switch it off as it can be a burden to be so sensitive to others.
4) Having images placed in your mind, either literal images of something or symbolic ones. For example, you may be presented with the image of a road to represent a journey in someone’s life, be it travel or even an emotional journey.

Symptoms of Psychic Ability Linked to Reading the Tarot
1) Sometimes extra details, prompted by the cards will come to you. Don’t be afraid to go with this as it is often what will build trust. An example of this is when you get draw a card such as the High Priestess and sense that a female figure is highly influential. An image of a sister may suddenly come to you, so go with this as it is likely to be presented to you for a reason.
2) Moods and strong emotions will come to you and this will show you the direction of the reading. The querant may want to keep their feelings to themselves or be looking for reassurance from you first so this is a good way of letting them know that you are right their with them.
3) Symbols can be placed in my mind for certain cards but I can have several to help me see the meaning of a card in the particular reading. For example, with the moon card I can get an image of a sepia tinged image of the moon to show me fears rooted in the past. If the card is showing me doubts relating to someone else in the querant’s life I will see the moon orbiting someone, always out of reach.
4) The position of the cards in the spread you have chosen will tell you what each card relates to, for example if it is showing you where the querant is right now. However, it is not uncommon for cards to represent 1 or more events in the querant’s life and this means you have to be a little flexible in how you interpret the direction of the reading. This will often be shown by drawing me into a particular card, even sensing some heat or a buzz around it. This alerts me to a more complex situation.

I hope this gives you an idea of how to look for symptoms of psychic ability in your tarot work and outside of it.